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After watching an Episode of 100 Foot Wave, the HBO series featuring big wave surfer Garrett McNamara, you’ll likely be left with goosebumps—it’s anxiety-inducing to watch humans tumble down monstrous walls of water; it’s The emotional impact of watching big dreams come up against unpredictability is a powerful reminder that so many people’s lives revolve around the power of the sea. But season three also offers a new look at McNamara since it first began charting his journey to conquer the world’s biggest wave in Nazaré, Portugal. McNamara’s perspective has changed since the beginning of the show four years ago, after he suffered some serious injuries. The same goes for the people who live in the small fishing town.
Over the course of five episodes, McNamara, his wife Nicole, and a gaggle of world-famous surfers like Justine Dupont and Lucas “Chumbo” Chianca reflect on what it means to surf adrenaline-pumping—and deadly—swells. The film also poses the question that is rarely asked by record-setting surfers: When does enough become enough?
We caught up with Garrett McNamara on a recent visit to New York to hear about both the personal turning points he reaches this season and the far-flung waves that inspired them—plus, the secret surf spots he hopes to uncover in the year ahead because, when it comes to surfing, it’s hard to ever say you’ve had enough.
You’ve already done two seasons. How was it returning to Nazaré for the third season—how has it changed?
Nazaré has dramatically changed. The entire country has changed. Portugal Since 2010, the world has changed. Attention that this wave has brought to the area is unprecedented, astronomical and unbelievable. Tourism in Nazaré used to close for the winter and now things are open all year. The first few years that we filmed, there was no one at the lighthouse. But now there are between 20 and 100 large tour buses and people looking out for the wave. They come all winter, all summer… even though there’s no wave in summer.
